Hire an Elder Law Attorney before you need one.

Elder law attorneys specialize in helping seniors with estate planning, incapacity planning, and end-of-life care. These attorneys are crucial in protecting a vulnerable population, and seniors and their families should consider hiring one to plan for their future and care.

How Can an Elder Law Attorney Help My Aging Loved One?

Having a plan for your aging loved one’s care can relieve anxiety for you and the senior. Elder law attorneys can help their clients by providing some of the following services:

Long-Term Care Planning

The number of Americans living past age 65 has exponentially increased over the past few decades and will continue to grow over the next few years. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), there will be more than 80 million seniors in the U.S. by 2040. This increase requires more people to pay close attention to the need for long-term care planning.

An elder law attorney can help seniors create a plan to pay for their care needs for the rest of their lives. Many seniors may worry about a lack of financial resources to pay for food, rent, medical care, and transportation in the years to come. Others hope to stay in their homes as they age but aren’t sure what the options may be for in-home care if it becomes necessary.

An elder law attorney can help you create a customized plan for your needs and assist you in allocating money to pay for the essentials as you age. In addition, with expertise specific to elder law at the federal level and in your state, they can aid you in determining what public benefits you could qualify for, such as Medicaid and Medicare, and help you successfully apply for them.

Estate Planning Document Preparation

Most people contact an elder law attorney whose expertise includes estate planning when they need end-of-life documents drafted. It is smart to start estate planning when you are still healthy.

Elder law attorneys may draft for their clients’ such documents as a last will and testament, health care directive, and power of attorney. By carefully crafting these documents, an attorney can help protect a senior’s legal rights when it comes to their retirement benefits, estate administration, and medical decision-making authority.

At the same time, having a comprehensive estate plan in place may not only ease the stress your family members encounter upon your passing, but also help them avoid any potential disputes regarding their inheritance.

Create a Plan for Incapacity

Incapacity planning is another area where elder law attorneys can help seniors document their wishes for care in the event of a disability, dementia diagnosis, or end-of-life care. As the senior population increases, the number of seniors with memory care needs will likewise increase.

It’s important to have an elder law attorney advise you on documenting your wishes for care at the end of your life, in the wake of a disability, or after a diagnosis of dementia.  People with memory issues may reach a stage when they can no longer care for themselves. It is essential to have a plan in place for when a senior is incapacitated.

An elder law attorney can assist seniors and their families as they try and protect the senior’s financial and physical well-being as their condition progresses.

Combating Elder Abuse and Exploitation

Seniors who are victims of elder abuse, whether at the hands of a family member or in a long-term care facility, are protected by the law. Elder law attorneys know the rights of nursing home residents and seniors under guardianship, are familiar with the tools that can protect you and your assets and can help you connect with other advocates.

Contact one of our Elder Law Attorneys for a free consultation on your specific situation.